Achalasia (recent doc visit)

Dysphagia is trouble swallowing. If you were diagnosed with dysphagia, it doesnt always mean you have achalasia. Many people have swallowing problems without ever having achalasia. The best way to determine if you have achalasia is to have a motility test. Individuals with high anxiety, can develop dysphagia.

BS! What tests did you have to diagnose Achalasia? X

Dysphagia is indeed difficulty with swallowing, and achalasia can be one of the causes of this.   Some doctors would protest a bit about a patient coming to them with a diagnosis when their symptoms might indicate something else, but it would be sensible for tests and the full diagnostic process to be gone through in order to work out what treatment, if any, is required.   I do not think any specialist could really be sure about achalasia and how to treat it without the proper tests (ie endoscopy, manometry and barium swallow);  indeed difficulty with swallowing really needs to be investigated to find out the underlying cause.   There are other motility conditions as well as achalasia.

?Some doctors are really good but have a very difficult manner towards patients.   It depends on whether you trust their clinical judgement or not, doesn't it! 

?You may find it helpful to download 'A Patient's Guide to Achalasia' from the website of the Oesophageal Patients Association under The oesophagus and Achalasia.

?Because achalsia is associated with the nerve endings that drive the muscles involved in the swallowing process, tension and anxiety can make it worse.   And it is possible to be so tense that one suffers difficulty in swallowing without having achalasia itself.   People with achalasia do often feel an improvement if they undertake some form of relaxation therapy (eg mindfulness, yoga, meditation) and you may want to consider this;  there is often a parallel track of relaxation around food that people with achalasia have to travel along because the medical treatment does not solve all the problems with this condition.

You perhaps should press for a Motility test, this will give you a 100% diagnosis of Achalasia or not.  That was the only test done on me in June this year.  I am now 4 weeks post-surgery [Hellery Myotomy & Fundoplication.]

In my position I would avoid like the plague so to speak.  Its your health and also entitled to another medical practioners opinion. How on earth the person can tell you what you have without doing any test and apparently describing through a graph is unacceptable. A graph certainly cannot explain either conditions as both can cause choking as food can go down windpipe. SEEK and I highlight seek this way to take note as it is your life and with problem mentioned of choking, to see someone properly qualified who knows more about both these conditions.